Court heard prosecutors say the victim was contacted via the Grindr app, met two teenagers in Blanchardstown, and was later found unconscious; he died in hospital three days after the assault.
Two youths, now aged 17, were sent to the Central Criminal Court on charges of murder and robbery after Alex Coughlan was assaulted on 17 May and died three days later.
Police say items including a gold ring and bank cards were taken and that one card was used in local shops within minutes of the incident.
Both defendants remain in custody on remand and did not enter pleas at the Dublin Children’s Court hearing.
# What happened
Two teenagers have been sent forward for trial charged with the murder and robbery of 37-year-old Alex Coughlan. The incident took place in Blanchardstown on 17 May. Mr Coughlan was found unconscious on Mill Road, taken to Connolly Hospital Blanchardstown in critical condition, and pronounced dead three days later.
# Allegations heard in court
Prosecutors outlined a sequence of events that they say began with contact on the gay dating app Grindr. Garda Sergeant Paul McMahon told the Dublin Children's Court that one of the defendants had Mr Coughlan's number saved under the contact name "Prey two." Phone records and a forensic examination reportedly show contact between the two the day before and a nearly eight-minute WhatsApp call 45 minutes before the alleged assault.
# Theft allegations and rapid card use
Coughlan during the incident, including a gold ring valued at €300 and bank cards (an AIB card and a Revolut card). Gardaí say the Revolut card was used to make purchases in local shops within minutes of the alleged robbery. The prosecution argued the robbery and murder charges are connected and should not be dealt with separately.
# Court process and next steps
The two defendants, referred to in court as Youth One and Youth Two, were 16 at the time of the incident and are now 17. They appeared separately before Judge Shalom Binchy at the Dublin Children's Court, were served books of evidence, and did not address the court. Each was sent forward on two charges to the Central Criminal Court, where trial listings will be set for the next legal term. Both remain in custody on remand.
# Evidence the State highlighted
# Immediate implications
The judge refused a defence bid to deal with the robbery counts separately in the Children's Court, accepting the State's submission that the offences are linked. The full cases will proceed in the Central Criminal Court where the defendants will face trial on both murder and robbery charges.
Court told ‘Youth One’ allegedly had deceased’s phone number saved on his device under contact name ‘Prey two’
Gardaí told the Dublin Children’s Court the victim’s number was allegedly saved as “Prey two”, as Outhouse warned of wider LGBTQ+ safety concerns. The post Two teens on trial for murder and robbery after man allegedly targeted on Grindr appeared first on PinkNews | Latest lesbian, gay, bi and trans news | LGBTQ+ news .
The 17-year-old also received a two-year sentence, which will run concurrently, for assaulting a man earlier on the same evening.
Alex Coles set himself the goal of playing for England at the World Cup, and he moved a step closer after the Northampton Saints lock was handed his first enhanced EPS contract this summer.
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